Acne scarring follows cystic acne (hard, tender, deep lesions) or sometimes very inflamed pustular acne (plugged pores with pus in them). The texture of a true scar is usually firmer than the surrounding skin.

There are also different types of acne scars. For example, one type of scar, called an “ice pick” scar, leaves a deep scar with a narrow opening at the skin, as if a tiny ice pick had punctured the skin.

Other acne scars affect the surface of the skin and can have either rolling soft shoulders or sharply demarcated, almost perpendicular, box-like walls. Still other types of acne scarring may look like very enlarged pores in areas where the acne was active.

The treatment recommended would vary according to the type of scar and the amount of scarring that you have. The most common acne scar treatments are simple excision, subscision, punch grafting, laser treatments, dermabrasion, and hyaluronic fillers like Restylane and Juvederm.